Dividing the Waters

Upcoming Conferences

2022 Dividing the Waters Conference
The Colorado River: Is the Law of the River Relevant to the Emerging Crisis?

Nov 30 – Dec 3 | Santa Fe, NM

With extreme drought bearing down on the Colorado River, this year’s Dividing the Waters conference will use this Basin as a case study to provide judges the knowledge and tools that they can use in their own watershed. Panels will address the “Law of the River,” its hydrology, history, and the conflicts in the Lower and Upper Colorado River Basin.

Join us in Santa Fe, New Mexico, 100 years after delegates from the seven Colorado River Basin states met to work out the Colorado River Compact. We will tour the Palace of the Governors, where the Compact was signed on November 24, 1922.

Conference attendees will participate in a field trip hosted by Utton Center, University of New Mexico Law School, and visit these important sites:
– Cochiti Dam and Pueblo de Cochiti,
– Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Water Authority’s San Juan Chama Drinking Water Project, including Adjustable Diversion Dam and Intake Structure, Raw Water Pumping Station and Water Treatment Plant
– Bear Canyon Groundwater Recharge Project

Participants will learn how to evaluate the scientific, technical and legal issues that arise in litigation over the use of water during a drought. At the conclusion of the conference, the participants will be better prepared to make reasoned and thoughtful decisions about the use of critical water resources.

Conference Fee Includes: Opening reception, three breakfasts, two lunches, and group dinner.

Dividing the Waters, a program of the National Judicial College, provides training, informational resources and collaborative learning opportunities for judges, special masters and administrative hearing officers who preside over litigation concerning the use of water.

Trainings & Conferences

Past Conferences